10 Most Luxurious Restaurants in the Planet

How much are you willing to pay for good food? If you have thousands of bucks to spare for a luxurious meal, you most likely do not have any budget limit for food. However, if you are simply living from paycheck to paycheck, you would most likely cringe at the thought of spending hundreds of bucks for just one meal. Special occasions, however, may call for a deviation from your usual budget. A work promotion, special dates, and other rare occasions may warrant an occasional splurge. So, if you are looking for a place where you could dine exclusively (at a price, of course), this list of the ten most luxurious restaurants in the world is for you.

All the restaurants that you can find on the list below have garnered Michelin stars—a rating exclusive for the finest and priciest restaurants in the world. Each Michelin star a restaurant earns and loses increases and decreases the price of the place respectively. It is no wonder, then, that competition is tight between the fanciest restaurants, with their chefs continuously striving for perfection in their field of expertise.

10. Beige (Tokyo) – $190

Do you want to experience a fusion of French and Japanese cuisine? Then you should dine at one of Tokyo’s finest restaurants, Beige. Beige sits atop the Chanel building in the city’s Ginza neighborhood and serves Chef Alain Ducasse’s signature recipes. For only $147 you already get to savor a world-class three-course dinner. Or if you want to enjoy a four-course meal, you only need to add $43 to your bill. To finish your meal nicely, you get yourself a Chanel chocolate for another $25. If it’s any consolation, you have the assurance of the restaurant’s ratings that you won’t be wasting more than a hundred bucks on your food.

9. Le Pre Catelan (Paris) – $255

What better way for you to enjoy the romantic ambiance of Paris than by dining out at one of the classiest restaurants in the city? Right at the heart of the City of Love, Le Pre Catelan graces the Bois de Boulogne park with the finest French cuisine. From the best prawn ravioli and veal dishes to excellent bread and wine, Le Pre Catelan makes the bill worth it. Desserts on the menu start at $43, and meals start at $85, but it is highly unlikely that you could spend under $130 for your chosen a la carte special. If you want to enjoy the best that Le Pre Catelan can offer, you can avail the $255-dollar seven-course meal, which is already inclusive of taxes and tips. Or you could avail of the $199-dollar summer bargain for a five-course meal, inclusive of taxes and service.

8. Misoguigawa (Japan) – $270

If you still want to try out other fancy restaurants that offer French cuisine with a Japanese twist, head to Misoguigawa, which you’ll find at what used to be a teahouse in central Kyoto. If you want to experience the best dishes of Misoguigawa, however, make sure to make prior reservations—at least five days before you plan to dine at the place. Among their must-try recipes are buttered French beans, roasted pumpkin, and beef fillet with potato soufflés. Of course, you would have to steel yourself for the cost of a multi-course meal. Choosing the eight-course menu would cost you roughly $162 while a fancier version of that course would cost you $270, inclusive of taxes and services. If your bank account could handle further food splurges, Misoguigawa also has private spaces available for special events—for a price, of course.

7. Aragawa (Tokyo) – $341

In 2006, Forbes rated Aragawa as the world’s most expensive restaurant. While it no longer holds that prestigious spot, Aragawa remains on the list of our most luxurious restaurants in the world. This pricey restaurant can seat only 22 people at most, making it truly exclusive. Thankfully, a full-course meal in this exclusive spot only costs at least $341. Reviews of the place brag that it has the best Kobe beef in the world, so make sure that you do not leave the place without trying that dish out!

6. Masa (New York City) – $350

Did you know that the word “Masa” in the Filipino language means “public”? Masa restaurant’s price tag is, however, far from being accessible to the public. It is thus ironic how one of the most exclusive restaurants in the Big Apple could bear that name. You will find Masa in the city’s Time Warner Center, and the dining experience is as unforgettable as the meals they serve. The ambiance of the place is calming, which is a good thing because you would need a relaxed set of nerves when you check your bill after your meal. No, you won’t find a menu in the place, but for only (!) $350 per person, you get to enjoy a variety of dishes fresh from the kitchen. Your full-course meal will last for as long as three hours, so you better wear something comfortable. You wouldn’t want a tight dress or suit to keep you from eating the best meals in the place, would you?

5. Gordon Ramsay (London) – $355

The place that bears the name of the famous restaurateur Gordon Ramsay is every bit as excellent as his reputation in the culinary world. The Scottish chef’s restaurant has held 3 Michelin stars for 14 years now—an extraordinary feat in the food industry. Of course, you would have to prepare $355 for your extravagant meal plus a generous service tip. If you still have a thousand dollars to spare and are celebrating a very momentous occasion, you could have a bottle of a 1900 Chateau Margaux 1er cru classé—for $18,850, of course.

4. Restaurant Crissier (Switzerland) – $415

If you are looking for the best-tasting meals that Switzerland’s chef of the year for 2013 has prepared, you only have to head to Restaurant Crissier. Chef Benoit Violier, who has continued the 40-year legacy of the restaurant’s legendary chefs, has recently earned a 19/20 from the prestigious Gault Millau French restaurant guide. The 3-Michelin-star restaurant continues to delight the choicest of taste buds in Switzerland with its $415 full-course meal. Specialties of the place include red fruit soufflé, white catfish Saint-gilles-croix-de-vie with lemongrass, and summer roasted mushrooms.

3. Ithaa Undersea Restaurant (Maldives) – $500

For a submarine dinner experience, you could choose to dine at what the New York Daily News in 2014 rated as the world’s most beautiful restaurant—Ithaa Undersea Restaurant at Maldives. For (only) $320 you get a unique dining experience—under the sea with a scenic view of great sea creatures gracing your entrée. A must-try on their menu is reef fish caviar, but you would have to add another hundred dollars to complete your meal with drinks and a generous service tip. Let’s just say that you would have to put in $500 to truly enjoy the underwater dining experience.

2. Restaurant Le Meurice (Paris) – $524

Another famous 3-star Michelin restaurant of Alaine Ducasse, the classy vintage interiors of Restaurant Le Meurice in downtown Paris alone is enough to make the most conservative foodie’s wallet quake. Starting from $524, you get to feast on three of the restaurant’s signature dishes plus choices of desserts and cheese. You might want to try their famous Guinea fowl pie (for only a few dollars over a hundred) and veal sweetbreads. That bill, however, does not include your drinks and the service fee, so you would have to add another hundred dollars or so to finish your meal nicely. How cool is that?

1. Sublimotion (Ibiza) – $2000

Here is where only the richest of the rich in the planet could afford to dine. Sublimotion in Ibizia promises a unique dining experience that will not only tantalize your taste buds but also captivate your senses. At Sublimotion, you get to enjoy the fusion of technology, psychology, art, and luxurious food for a truly sensory experience. With a seating capacity of only 20 individuals, the restaurant can adjust even the humidity of the place to deliver the desired impact of the microenvironment. So, when you feel like crying once the waiter serves you your $2000 bill, let the management know, and they would be more than happy to adjust the place’s mood to appease you.

Meanwhile, as I write this list of the ten priciest restaurants in the world, I sit on my kitchen counter and think about the food I could eat given my $5 lunch budget. When I think of the hole in my wallet that the restaurants above can cause, I remind myself that I could very well survive on my fruit and vegetable diet. Add to that my spirulina capsule supplementation to ensure that I could live long and healthy years (and scrimp money during that time). Oh well, let’s just hope that I would meet you, dear reader, dining in one of the luxurious restaurants I have listed above before my appetite rests in peace forever.